New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-05-17
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

oIIPHaxT Edited with Introduction. by CHARLES
A. DANA 12mo. PIP. vii, 1863. Harper az Brothers
The title OF this book is the name OF the town in
which Mr.. OlIphant had his residence during the
three years whose experiences he records. Hafa Is
situated at the foot of Mount Carmel ana our
authors explorations we're carried on chiehy III
Galilee although he veltured also short olstanoo
into the nearly unknown region across tne 'o'u""'
and has something t. tell Of visit TO Jerusaen'
To those who know Mr. ELEPHANTS WORK IL ID
hardly necessary to say that his naria'l'o Is
unconventional and entertaining. ne wIo'o
GHaifap in the form of letters to Ihe Ncr- f0TA
Sum- and tine chapters have the simplicity ulrecl'
ness and vivacity characteristic OF good newspaper
correspondence, without any OF the prolix word-
Wanting" and strained frivOlity by which INFERIOR
Journalists vainly try TO be lively. SOMETIMES
indeed MIR. Oliphant tells so plain tale tnat ono
ho,a,v raolzes what interesting discoveries ana
f,osh sketches of actual life and manners are
cova,od nv his concise and unaffected pages. lie
has followed carefully the labors OF the Iaies'n0
FxoloratIon Society and supplemented them oy
s,any indepeneent researches of which his account
Is ALWAYS attractive though brief and modest
Palestine is a country in which the tourist sees
surprisingly small proportion of what is oest worm
seeing Close to the beaten roads OF travei are
wonderful ruins which are never Vsi'eu ny
by archeologsts 1t is not easy to make exrursions
ont If the cnstodv of dragomans and these persons
have reasons of their for keeping the strlng Oh
.iybt seers in the regular road and taking them 10
the recular places Moreover, false idea OF an
cient Palestine has been widely spread by the WIFI
ings of Biblical scholars who. in their eagerhess u
show that the modern felahlu di6er but little IRON
the peasantry Of the country IN the time OF christ,
portray ouly the rude civilization OF the orlRha.
inhabitants and the subsequent civilization gralteo
upon 1t by their Jewish conquerors ana quite ieaVe
out of consideration the changes efected Dy INC
higher and later civilization of the Greek and
Roman invaders Hence We are apt to forget tnae
as Roman province Palestine rose to CONSIDERABLE
.n,.noor and luxury, that its population was
WEALTHY its architecture magnificent, its arts anu
commerce hourishng, it's rich cities very nuiner-
nus and although the Gospels themselves contain
aistnct illusions to this state of things lew traVe
!ers think of looking for the traces OF IT, let euch
traces are abundant. and nowhere are they iouhu
I'm so great profusOn along the shores OF me pea
of Gslilee in the very region where mnch Oh tuo
time of Christ's ministry was spent here arc t"o
proofs ttat our Saviour lived apd worked In inc very
centre of the most luxurious Roman me- sur
rounded by stately temples, grand palaces, beauti-
frl villas and semtropIcal gardens in the midst OF
busy marts frequented by the merchants of many
his search among the ruins of such places and has
made substantial additions to our knowledge of
sacred localities
His report upon the fertility of Palestine is more
favorable than that of casual travellers and lie
find many evidences of material progress through
the influx of furelgners-a progress which would
be much greater but for the open secret hostility
of the Turkish Government The unfortunate ex-
pe-ience of q colony of American Adventlsts near
Jaaa is we'll remembered; but another body OF
settlers with some what similar aims seems to have
succeeded where our coantrymsn failed. The
Temple Society, as the members of this community
Or sect are called was founded by Professor Chris
topher Hoffman, of Wurtemberg, and now en-
braces about 5000 adherents over 800 of whom
are in this country 900 in Palestine, and the rest
IN various parts of Europe. They made their first
settlement Palestine, near Ilaifa, in 1869, choos
ing the Roy Land as the most appropriate place in
which to await the second coming OF Christ; and
they now have four prosperous colonies in that
country, one of them being near Jerusalem. The
example of their thrift has hao good effect upon
che native population near them. Jerusalem is
growing very fast new and improved houses are
building. land is rising in price, and an extensive
Frank suburb has been created. The charges here
however. are not the result of developing the nat
nra resources of the land. but they caused en-
tIrely by the increasing influx of visitors. Tourists
are more and moro numerous as the facilities for
travel are enlarged, and pilgrimages are more COM
mon in both the Latin and the Greek Church
Russia especially sends throngs of devotees, ven
Grafton for the holy places being far more intense in
that &C untrY than in any other part of Christen-
DOM The political consequences which this growth
of the foreign interests may involve are certainly
not overlooked either by the Russian Government,
which promotes the pilgrimages, or the French,
10 To- q 'hrixt ut hnrna a
supply of religion for export and Is fully aware of